My Home Improvement Ideas to Sell Your Home

One thing that I've learned in my five years as a Realtor in Nashville, location, location, location only covers about half of what it takes to sell a home.  Now we Realtors have known for a long time that improvements to a home such as painting and decluttering can make a world of difference, but thanks to HGTV, home buyers are now not just looking for cleanliness and a fresh coat of paint.  In fact, painting and decluttering should be mandatory before a seller can even list their home.  The first thing a home seller should do is to have a plumber come in and inspect all the plumbing in the house and correct any leaks that will or have already caused water stains in the ceiling or walls.  The second thing that should be done, and it's only because it's an eye sore and NO ONE likes it anyway, is to remove the popcorn ceiling.  Of course this only applies to those who have popcorn ceilings.  Textured ceiling is acceptable, but if your home is going to be priced above $300,000 then you should have a smooth painted ceiling.  Number three is landscaping.  This is what prospective buyers notice first when they are coming to look at a home.  If you the seller don't have a green thumb, please seek the help of a landscape professional who will take care of it for you for a monthly service fee.  Ask your Realtor for recommendations.  Last, but not least is staging.  I don't care how comfortable that sofa is, if Goodwill won't even accept it then how do you think it looks to prospective buyers who are walking through your home.  Finding the right amount of furniture to put in a room without over doing it can be nerve wrecking.  One trick I've learned is that to showcase hardwood floors, remove all area rugs.  Buyers want hardwoods, show them the hardwoods.  If you don't know what you are doing and you need staging advice, consult your Realtor.